Drills are used in various surgical procedures. For example, a drill may be used by an orthopedic surgeon to drill a hole in bone to receive a screw or wire. Since surgery must be performed with sterile equipment, surgical drills are designed to survive sterilization procedures. Such surgical drills can be exceedingly expensive. Specialized surgical drills can be so expensive that they are unaffordable in some communities.
Battery powered portable drills for use by tradespeople and homeowners are commonly available and are much less expensive than surgical drills. However, commercially available power drills cannot be effectively sterilized and are therefore not usable for surgical purposes.
There is a need for more cost effective ways to provide tools for use in surgery and other environments that require sterilization.